The following is a guest post from Andrew Martin.

How many unfinished screenplays do you have sitting on your hard drive? Remember those great ideas for films, shows, plays, and novels that slammed into a wall and were left abandoned? After of years in the wilderness, I’ve found passage to the other side.

Procrastination is an art. One could even argue that it’s far more nuanced and mysterious than the actual craft of creating. But entertaining this idea any further is yet another form of procrastination (not unlike writing this blog post).

You see, I decided to write this article instead of writing my screenplay. Productivity within procrastination, wheels within wheels, all designed to keep me from my original goal.

They’re so big you probably only confess them to a handful of trusted confidants.

It’s dreams like getting hired to work on a certain project. Having a sustainable career in film / video making. Finishing your screenplay. Sharing your finished passion project with the world. Maybe it’s even receiving that golden statue and thanking everyone who helped make it possible.

Sometimes those big dreams can be so exciting that they get a little overwhelming. It’s really easy to get stuck daydreaming, overanalyzing, and overthinking.

Where do you start? How do you get your foot in the door? Once you’ve figured out a few things, how do you take the next steps? Where’s the leap from present day to that big dream coming true?

Deb Shoval on the set of “AWOL,” a recipient of the Women In Film Finishing Fund. (Photo via NFS.)

The list is updated by NFS each season. It includes documentary, narrative, screenwriting, and new media funding categories for filmmakers. Each grant includes a brief description, link to more information, deadlines, and potential funding amounts.

TriFilm Insights: Indie Film Funding 101

Members, be sure to take advantage of the TriFilm Insights course about film funding.

TriFilm Insights are digital courses that share industry information that will help you succeed. The Indie Film Funding 101 course is a brief introduction to film funding that will help you navigate options, including grants.

Raising Bertie, a feature documentary about three African American boys in Bertie County, N.C., is screening at the Longleaf Film Festival in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, May 12th, 2017.

Welcome to Bertie County sign. (Courtesy of Raising Bertie.)

The film was shot over the course of six years.

Margaret Byrne, director-producer, and Ian Robertson Kibbe, producer, shared their experience making Raising Bertie with the TriFilm Society in 2016.

“In the end, the real reason I wanted to tell this story though is that I love these families. It was important to stay connected to them and tell a story that I felt honored the truth of who they were,” said Byrne.

Junior, one of the three young men featured in Raising Bertie. (Courtesy of Raising Bertie.)

“I encourage anyone who is thinking of starting a documentary to make sure you really care about the people or issues you are addressing. It’s your passion for the story that will carry you when the dollars don’t,” said Kibbe.